The Case of the Knockoff Motor
Sep 1, 2007, By Curtis E. Falany, P.E., FORCON International Corp.
Have you ever heard the expression, green is ground the world around? I have, many times. But do you ever personally check the green conductor to see...
Calculating Arc Flash Energy Levels
Sep 1, 2007, By Benjamin O. Medich, P.E., Ballinger
While not a major topic of consideration when designing and maintaining facilities in past years, code-enforcement bodies have become increasingly aware...
Magnetic Motor Starter Basics
Sep 1, 2007, By Steve Vidal, P.E., Joseph J. Vidal & Sons, Inc.
The NEC defines a controller in a few different ways. In Art. 100, a controller is described as a device or group of devices that serves to govern, in...
Battery Sizing Basics
Sep 1, 2007, By Shanmuga S. Pandian, SOFCON
Because stationary batteries and 48VDC power systems serve as lifelines for telecommunication networks, the reliability of these systems is of the utmost...
Short Circuits
Sep 1, 2007,
Tarzan the Electrician I was fresh out of college, recently returning from Army active duty, and was hired on as an electrician at a small electrical...
From the Front Lines
Aug 1, 2007, By Beck Ireland, Staff Writer
There's a common saying electrical contractors have about electrical inspectors: Arguing with an inspector about the Code is like wrestling with a pig...
Putting the Web to Work
Aug 1, 2007, By Tom Zind, Freelance Writer
With a half-century under its belt, Malko Electric Co., Morton Grove, Ill., takes rightful pride in its long list of accomplishments. But it's not just...
The Power of the R5 Business Model
Aug 1, 2007, By Bradley Dawson, LTV Dynamics
In today's business climate, strategic planning has become an annual administrative exercise for upper management. Every year, business owners brush off...
Rethinking Electrical Safety
Aug 1, 2007, By Bennie Kennedy, Square D/Schneider Electric
When an electrical accident occurs, hindsight is always 20/20. More often than not, upon investigation and re-evaluation, investigators find multiple...
Wiring 911
Aug 1, 2007, By Burton Klein, P.E., Burton Klein Associates
What does an electrician working in a health care facility either as an employee or as a contractor need to know so that he doesn't jeopardize the safety...
Police Power
Aug 1, 2007, By Michael Eby, Editor-in-Chief
In support of our editorial theme this month (i.e., testing & maintenance), I thought a more personal view on this topic was in order. My wife and I recently...
Gen-Set Article Generates Reader Feedback
Aug 1, 2007,
Your article in the April issue, Top Nine Reasons Generators Fail to Start, had quite a bit of excellent information on gen-set maintenance. Unfortunately,...
From the Forensic Files of NIOSH
Aug 1, 2007,
Lack of communication and disregard for proper work procedures resulted in the electrocution of a licensed journeyman electrician employed by a Kentucky...
The Case of the Conveyor Catastrophe
Aug 1, 2007, By Andrew Paris, P.E., Anderson Engineering
The night in question couldn't have been more normal at the baked goods plant. Throughout the day, sheets of dough wind through a twisting maze of machinery...
Short Circuits
Aug 1, 2007,
The Power of Darkness As an electrical designer at a NASA center, I once got a phone call from a user who had contracted for a turnkey installation of...
ASA Sets Code of Ethics for Construction Subcontractors
Aug 1, 2007,
In response to the corporate scandals of the 1990s, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 began requiring public companies to disclose whether they have adopted...
Response to Rising Energy Costs
Jul 1, 2007,
In a survey by Milwaukee-based Johnson Controls, only 13% of respondents business leaders from a wide range of facilities and locations who were decision-makers...
Everyone makes mistakes. Some are just funnier than others
Jul 1, 2007,
Water Works We were using an auger one day to install light poles at a local hotel when we hit an unmarked water line about 3-feet deep. After contacting...
Short Circuits
Jun 1, 2007,
The Melody of a Miswire About 40 years ago, I was helping my old friend Tom change out a furnace. He was a licensed warm air mechanic, and I was a journeyman...
Prepare Your Plant for an Arc Flash Hazard Study
Jun 1, 2007, By Daryn Lewellyn, Lewellyn Technology
An arc flash hazard study is a complicated engineering survey and analysis that typically is performed by an engineering consultant. Preparing for the...
